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Off the Ball

vor 2 Stunden

Cologne - Off the Ball, bundesliga.com's quirky periodical, offers a selection of the offbeat stories to have emerged in Germany’s top flight in the past few days.

In this edition, we look at a potential new role for Bastian Schweinsteiger, a Borussia Dortmund training session with a twist and a one-of-a-kind visitor at VfL Wolfsburg. Plus we find out what Mrs. Stevens has to say about her husband's appointment at VfB Stuttgart...

Ahead of his side’s 3-2 loss to Manchester City FC in the UEFA Champions League, it was clear how happy Bastian Schweinsteiger was to be back in training, so much so that the German national team captain even enjoyed a session between the sticks. It was all fun and games, but you never know - considering Manuel Neuer’s propensity and preference for getting involved outfield, the Bayern and Germany No1 may be open to a switch!

Building up to a European clash of their own against English opposition, Borussia Dortmund sent Twitter into a frenzy after pictures emerged from a training session Jürgen Klopp’s men took part in at London’s Regent’s Park. Arsenal FC were lying in wait and it’s not hard to imagine world football’s most lovable and charismatic coach telling his stars: “If you can do it on a Sunday league pitch, you can do it at the Emirates”. Shame it didn’t have the desired effect...

When Armin Veh stepped aside as Stuttgart head coach, one of the first names on many people’s lips to fill the position was Huub Stevens and it appears that, after 199 days of spending time with his family, his better half had similar thoughts. “My wife also said: ‘It’s time to get back in the game’,” admitted the Dutch tactician. “Perhaps she’s happy about it [my appointment].” Any football mad husband would be the first to admit that’s true love.

For fans of the beautiful game living in the United Kingdom, Saturday mornings aren’t complete without tuning into cult football show ‘Soccer AM’. Known for its star-studded interviews, quick wit and bizarre sketches, it covers football from a different angle, one VfL Wolfsburg perhaps weren’t ready for when they agreed to let a camera crew roam their stadium. Poor old Marcel Schäfer, the 30-year-old looks like he doesn’t know what's hit him!

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